Household can crusher



Sept. 28, 1965 J. TAYLOR HOUSEHOLD CAN CRUSHER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 17, 1964 3a? 4 Fig. /0

Junior Taylor iNVEN TOR.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 17 1964 Fig. 5

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United States Patent 3,208,372 HOUSEHOLD CAN CRUSHER Junior Taylor, Farm Cogswell, N. Dali. Filed Jan. 17, 1964, Set. N0. 338,481 15 Claims. (Cl. 100-98) This invention comprises a novel and useful household can crusher and more particularly pertains to a device which will facilitate the crushing and the collapsing of cans into a relatively small volume to facilitate their subsequent disposal.

It is well known that under present conditions owing to the large number of cans employed as food receptacles and containers, that the volume occupied and the quantity of such discarded containers poses a considerable problem in connection with trash disposal. Obviously, the crushing and flattening of a can will greatly reduce the volume which it occupies and thus will to a considerable extent alleviate this problem. However, certain types of cans such as beer or beverage containers are of a relatively heavy construction and it is difiicult to effectively crush and collapse such discarded containers. It is therefore the primary purpose of this invention to provide an apparatus which will largely overcome this difficulty and will greatly facilitate the crushing and collapsing of empty and discarded cans into a relatively smaller volume and thereby facilitate their subsequent disposal.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a household can crusher employing power-operated means to effectively crush and collapse discarded cans into a minimum of volume. t t

A further object of the invention is to provide a can crusher in accordance with the preceding objects which shall include means especially effective for breaking or severing the relatively stiff reinforced n'ms of cans and thereby facilitate their crushing and collapsing with a subsequent minimum strain upon the structure of the can crusher.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device in conformity with the foregoing objects and which shall incorporate therein a vertically movable ram having power operating means connected thereto for effecting vertical travel of the ram toward and from a base for crushinga can therebetween and wherein the ram shall include an improved cutting element construction especially effective for severed or breaking of the reinforced beads and rims of cans of different sizes to thereby facilitate their subsequent crushing and collapse by the apparatus. a

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device in conformity with the preceding objects wherein a power operated vertically movable ram shall have an improved guiding means to facilitate vertical travel of the ram and wherein the. guiding means shall be incorporated into the support and operating means of the ram.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a can crusher in conformity with the above set forth objects wherein the ram operating means shall be mounted and supported upon the upper portion of the support structure of the apparatus in a convenient location and in a simple manner to effectivelyoperate the ram. These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic top planview with parts being shown in horizontal section and parts being broken away of a preferred embodiment of apparatus incorporating therein the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the apparatus taken at the right side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of FIGURE 2 and showing the base portion of the apparatus;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view in vertical transverse section taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 5-5 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 6-6 of FIGURE 5 and showing in top plan -the upper surface of the ram and its reinforcing ribs and guide means;

FIGURE 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 7-7 of FIGURE 5, and showing in particular the bottom surface of the ram together with the can rim crushing element of the ram;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of one of the tooth members of the ram for crushing and severing or cutting the rim of a can;

FIGURE 9 is a detail view in perspective: showing the cooperating portions of the ram and of the support, guide and operating means of the invention; and

FIGURE 10 is a further detail view taken in vertical transverse section substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 10-10 of FIGURE 5 and upon an enlarged scale and showing the journaling of the lower portion of the screw-threaded ram operating screws of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings there is indicated generally by the numeral 10 a preferred form of a can crusher in accordance with this invention, shown with a can which is to be crushed and which is indicated generally by the numeral 12. The can is shown as being provided with the usual reinforcing rims 13 at its opposite ends which serve to stiffen and strengthen the wall of the can and by which the two ends of the can are sealed thereto.

The can crusher 10 includes a base or base structure 14 consisting preferably of a plate to whose central portion there is secured a block 16 as by welding 18 to strengthen and stiffen the material of the base. Secured to and rising vertically from the base is a support means indicated generally by the numeral 20. The support means as shown includes a pair of vertical parallel channel members 22 having their open sides facing each other in opposed relation as will be apparent from FIGURES 4, 6 and 7. These channel members at their lower ends are secured in any suitable manner as by welding 24, see FIG URE 4, to the base 14 and at their upper ends are similarly secured to a head member in the form of a plate 26. The support means further includes an upstanding post 28 in the form of a transversely arcuate plate, see FIG- URE 6, whose lower end is rigidly secured as by welding to the base 14 intermediate the two channel members 22 at what may be termed the backside of the device, with its upper end similarly secured to the head plate 26.

Secured to and rotatively journaled upon both the base and the head plate 26 are a pair of parallel vertically eX- tending screw-threaded shafts each indicated by the numeral 30. It will be observed that the lower ends of these shafts extend through apertures 32 disposed in those portions of the base 14 Which extend into the channel members 22. A bearing cup 34 is detachably secured as by flanges 36 and fastening screws 38 to the underside of the base 14 within the channel members 22 and receives therein a bearing assembly 40 of conventional type, retained in the cup portion of this member as by a split locking ring 42 received in an annular locking channel 44. The lower end of the shaft 30 has its end portion 46 It received in the bearing member 40 so that the member 34 serves to both rotatively journal and to support the lower end of the shaft 30, thereby retaining the latter in position upon the base.

The upper end of the shaft as shown in FIGURE has a cylindrical bearing portion 50 extending through corresponding apertures 52 in the head plate 26 so that the screw-threaded shafts 30 are each rotatively journaled and secured in both the base 14 and in the head plate 26 in a parallel relation and within the confines of the two channel members 22 of the support means.

At their uppermost extremities the shafts are provided with non-circular terminal portions as at '54 to receive thereon the hubs 56 of gears 58 by means of which rotation is imparted to the shafts in a manner to be subsequently set forth.

The device also includes a ram indicated generally by the numeral 60 and which includes a generally circular plate 62 having top and bottom fiat surfaces as at 64 and 66. The ram is provided with a pair of oppositely laterally projecting portions 68 which are guidingly and slidingly received within the channel members 22 for vertical reciprocation therein. In addition, these portions or projections of the ram are provided with internally threaded apertures as at 70, by which they are engaged upon the screw-threaded shafts 30. Thus, by rotating the shafts, the ram will be positively raised or lowered or moved toward and from the base 14.

Upon its top surface, the ram is provided with pairs of parallel ribs 72 opposed to each other as shown in FIG- URE 6 and each extending across one of the portions 68 to thereby stiffen, reinforce and strengthen the top surface of the ram. In some instances, as shown in FIG- URE 9, the top surface of the portion 68 may have secured thereto as by welding or the like a nut 74 to thus provide a more wear-resistant threaded engagement with the shaft 30.

Upon its bottom surface 66 the ram is provided with a plurality of downwardly extending teeth which are adapted to engage the rim of the can and crush and break the latter during downward travel of the ram when the can is disposed between the ram and the base. As shown in FIGURE 7, the teeth, each indicated by the numeral 76 constitute elongated members having a plurality of cutting elements each indicated at 78. Conveniently, the tooth member 76 may consist of a bar or strip having a lower sawtooth configuration. It is preferred to arrange the tooth members as shown in FIGURE 7 in a circumferentially spaced relation about a vertical axis passing through the center of the ram 60 and upon the bottom surface of the latter with each of the members 76 being disposed radially so that the successive cutting elements 78 thereof will be spaced radially from each other. As a result of this arrangement, cans of different sizes may be placed upon the base and their rims will be engaged by correspondingly positioned cutting elements 78 thus ensuring that the device will effectively cut, sever or break the rim of cans of different sizes.

An operating means is provided connected to the rim for effecting positive vertical travel of the latter within the guide structure of the channel members 22. This operating means may conveniently comprise a source of power such as an electric motor 80 mounted upon a suitable supporting bracket structure 81 secured to the top portion of the support means 20. The source of power whether electrical or a handcrank includes a drive shaft 82 having a drive gear 84 thereon. Preferably this drive gear is a bevel gear and constitutes a part of a gearing assembly which connects a source of power to the threaded shafts 30 to effect controlled rotation of the latter. In the form illustrated, the gearing assembly consists of a central driven bevel gear 86 which meshes with the bevel gear 84. The bevel gear 86 is secured as by fastening screws 88 to an intermediate spur gear 90 which is disposed between and is in continuous mesh with a pair remove and will effect a positive vertical upward or downward travel of the ram.

From the foregoing it is believed that the operation of the invention will be readily understood and a further description thereof is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A can crusher comprising a base for supporting a can which is to be crushed, a support means mounted upon and extending vertically above said base, a ram slidably mounted upon said support means and vertically movable toward and from said base, operating means connected to said ram and effecting positive vertical movement of said ram, said ram having a lower face with a plurality of downwardly projecting teeth thereon for breaking the rim of a can upon movement of said ram toward said base, each tooth comprising an elongated member whose bottom surface is sawtoothed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced downwardly projecting knife edges.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said support means includes a pair of vertical channel members which open toward each other, said ram having portions guidingly and slidingly received in said channel member.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said ram has reinforcing ribs upon its top surface, said ribs extending outwardly from the central portion of the ram and into said channel members.

4. The combination of claim 1 including a plurality of vertical guide members mounted upon said base, each guide member being hollow with a vertical slot in its side opening into its hollow interior, said ram having portions each extending through a slot and being slidably and guidingly received in a guide member hollow interior.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said operating means includes a plurality of vertical shafts each disposed in one of said guide members, drive means (3011-. nected to said shafts and imparting rotation thereto, means, journaling each shaft for rotation but preventing axial movement thereof, each shaft having a screw-threaded engagement with the ram portion which is received in the associated guide member.

6. A can crusher comprising a base for supporting a can which is to be crushed, a support means mounted upon and extending vertically above said base, a ram slidably mounted upon said support means and vertically movable toward and from said base, operating means connected to said ram and mounted upon said support means and effecting positive vertical movement of said ram, said ram having a lower face with a plurality of downwardly projecting teeth thereon for breaking the rim of a can upon movement of said ram toward said base, said teeth com: prising a plurality of members spaced circumferentially about a vertical axis and each having a plurality of radially spaced cutting elements whereby rims of different sized cans may be broken by selected sets of cutting elements.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said support means includes vertical guides, said ram having cooperating guide portions slidably engaged with said guides.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said guides comprise channel members, said ram guide portions being slidably received in said channel members.

9. The combination of claim 6 wherein said operating means includes a pair of parallel vertical screw-threaded shafts each journaled in said base and support means, drive means connected to said shafts and imparting rotation thereto, said ram having threaded connections to said shafts.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said drive means includes a source of power mounted upon said support means and having a power shaft and gearing connecting said power shaft to said screw-threaded shafts.

11. A can crusher comprising a base for supporting a can which is to be crushed, a support means mounted upon and extending vertically above said base, a ram slidably mounted upon said support means and vertically movable toward and from said base, operating means connected to said ram and mounted upon said support means and effecting positive vertical movement of said ram, said ram having a lower face with a plurality of downwardly projecting teeth thereon for breaking the rim of a can upon movement of said ram toward said base, said support means including vertical guides, said ram having cooperating guide portions slidably engaged with said guides, said guides comprising channel members, said ram guide portions being slidably received in said channel members, said operating means including a pair of parallel vertical screw-threaded shafts each journaled in said base and support means and disposed each in one of said channel members, said ram guiding portions having threaded engagement with said shafts, drive means connected to said shafts and imparting rotation thereto.

12. A can crusher comprising a base for supporting a can which is to be crushed, a support means mounted upon and extending vertically above said base, a ram slidably mounted upon said support means and vertically movable toward and from said base, operating means connected to said ram and mounted upon said support means and eifecting positive vertical movement of said ram, said ram having a lower face with a plurality of downwardly projecting teeth thereon for breaking the rim of a can upon movement of said ram toward said base, said ram comprising a plate having lateral projections and upper and lower faces, pairs of radially extending reinforcing ribs on the upper face of said plate and projections, said support means including vertical guides, said projections slidably engaging said guides.

13. The combination of claim 12 wherein said guides comprise a pair of vertical channel members constituting part of said support means, said lateral projections being each slidably retained in one of said channel members.

14. The combination of claim 13 wherein said operating means includes a pair of screw-threaded shafts each enclosed in a channel member, said projections having screwthreaded bores engaged upon a screw-threaded shaft, drive means connected to said screw-threaded shafts for imparting rotation thereto.

15. A can crusher comprising a base for supporting a can which is to be crushed, a support means mounted upon and extending vertically above said base, a ram slidably mounted upon said support means and vertically movable toward and from said base, operating means connected to said ram and mounted upon said support means and elfecting positive vertical movement of said ram, said ram having a lower face with a plurality of downwardly projecting teeth thereon for breaking the rim of a can upon movement of said ram toward said base, said support means comprising a pair of parallel vertical channel members with longitudinal vertical openings, said ram having lateral guide portions each slidably received in a channel member, a standard disposed between said channel members, said channel members and standard being secured fixedly to the margin of said base in peripherally spaced relation, a cap plate secured fixedly to the upper ends of said standard and channel members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,723,348 8/29 Hansen 295 X 2,139,143 12/38 Wiswell.

2,150,812 3/39 Aukerman 100-269 2,508,585 5/50 Stone 100-290 X 3,062,130 11/62 Huber et al. 100-216 3,079,856 3/63 Swartz 100--50 3,104,607 9/63 Galas 100-53 3,106,888 10/63 Chapleau 100-232 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CAN CRUSHER COMPRISING A BASE FOR SUPPORTING A CAN WHICH IS TO BE CRUSHED, A SUPPORT MEANS MOUNTED UPON AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY ABOVE SAID BASE, A RAM SLIDABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND A VERTICALLY MOVABLE TOWARD AND FROM SAID BASE, OPERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID RAM AND EFFECTING POSITIVE VERTICALY MOVEMENT OF SAID RAM, SAID RAM HAVING A LOWER FASCE WITH A PLURALITY OF DOWNARDLY PROJECTING TEETH THEREON FOR BREAKING THE RIM OF A CAN UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID RAM TOWARD SAID BASE, EACH TOOTH COMPRISING AN ELONGATED MEMBER WHOSE BOTTOM SURFACE IS SAWTOOTHED WITH A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED DOWNWARDLY PROJECTING KNIFE EDGES. 